Everybody's way of dealing with it is so different - it's neat!
Well, you guys have made me realize that it's just something
that has to be done but guess what! Today I woke up with
a cold!! noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I promise that when I get better, I WILL EXERCISE! lol
For me, a gym membership is the way to go. I can NOT motivate myself to utilize tapes/dvds, or go for a jog... I have to actually leave the house and go somewhere. However... once I leave the house and start the car, it's on. Yeah, the first 10 minutes of cardio really sucks, but it gets better. Also, an iPod and a magazine helps considerably, especially if you put the magazine over the display. A watched pot never boils... a watched display never gets your cardio over quicker and just puts emphasis on how much you don't want to do it on non-motivated days. Once the work is done, I feel fabulous. I've developed the mindset that yeah, I'm overweight. But I'm doing something about it... even still being overweight, just knowing I'm doing my part to end it has made a drastic difference in my self confidence.
One thing I am concerned with, and perhaps should bring up in another thread... how much is enough? I go to the gym 3 days a week. I only do 20 minutes cardio, + 5 minutes cooldown... usually burning around 330 calories, since I use the elliptical. Then I do a range of weight machinery for toning and building some muscle... total, I'm normally there for about an hour and a half. My job requires me to be at a desk for 8 hours a day. Maybe I should try to drag out my time at the gym, but I don't want to make myself hate it either.
Is there something active that you've just ALWAYS wanted to do? Or that you used to do that you stopped? I just started figure skating a few months ago. I went the first time because I just didn't want to hit the gym, and the rink was on the way...Now I'm skating 2 hours a day and hate it when they turn the lights off and I have to leave! I'm doing it because it's just so much fun, I don't even notice that I"m sweating like crazy until I'm off the ice. I also belly dance, which I love...any kind of dance related exercise is something I know I'll get into.
So, have you ever wanted to try mountain biking, rock climbing, skating, skiing, dancing, snowshoeing, roller blading, bowling, curling, horsebackriding, bodybuilding, karate, tai chi, boxing, yoga, soccer, basketball, vollyball, waterpolo??????? Find something you like to do, especially something social where you'll make friends, and you won't have to motivate yourself...it'll just happen!
And don't dare say "I'm too fat to try that"...anyone can take the first few baby steps to learn a new skill. It may take a long time to get good, but who cares? I'm 215, and I'm halfway to learning a jump in fig skating! I always thought I'm "too old" "too fat" "too out of shape"....turns out I was wrong!
My main thing is sorting out a routine that forces me to exercise. Well, I wouldn't go quite that far (although it would be good if I could), but I joined a gym that I need to walk past to get to work, and I set my alarm earlier. I'm not the sort of person who can sleep once the alarm's gone off, so if I'm up and I have to walk past the gym anyway it makes it a lot easier to persuade myself to get up. Plus exercising in the morning makes it harder for me to argue with myself and think of excuses.
I don't always want to exercise, but I'd rather spend a bit of time exercising than spending my whole life hating my body and not being able to do things that I want to do.
Eventually as you get used to it you start to enjoy it a bit more, but if you give up too soon you'll never get to that stage so it's important to hang in through it and give the habit time to stick.
noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
